The Divide-and-Conquer and Employer/Employee Models of Discrimination

Neoclassical Competition as a Familial Defect

Bibliographic Data

ID10430727
AuthorsPatrick L Mason (0000-0003-2223-0715, corresponding author)
Year1992
Volume20
Issue4
Pages73-89
Publication date1992-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Review of Black Political Economy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-6446 • E-ISSN: 1936-4814
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1007/bf02696981
OpenAlexW2011173761
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited8

This article is an examination of the similarities between Michael Reich's divide-and-conquer model of discrimination and the Becker-Arrow taste model of discrimination. It shows that Reich's model of discrimination is analytically identical to Arrow's employer discrimination model when employer utility is a function of total profits and the racial employment ratio. It also shows that the Becker-Arrow distinction between employer and employee discrimination is invalid. Finally, the author argues that neoclassical competition is the major defect of both models. After discussing the implications of these results the article points to new directions in the literature on the economics of discrimination

Arrow · Competition (biology · Divide and conquer algorithms · Economics · Function (biology · Inequality · Labour economics · Microeconomics · Neoclassical economics · Positive economics · Price discrimination · Sociology · Statistical discrimination · Taste · Global trade and economics · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Merger and Competition Analysis · Psychology

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